Tufts Jumbos
Nickname for Tufts University athletics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tufts Jumbos are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The Jumbos compete at the NCAA Division III level as a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Like all Division III schools, Tufts does not offer athletic scholarships. Coed and women's sailing are the only Division I sports at the school.
NEISA
College Squash Association
| Tufts Jumbos | |
|---|---|
| |
| University | Tufts University |
| NCAA | Division III |
| Conference | NESCAC (primary) NEISA College Squash Association |
| Athletic director | Ryan Pisarri |
| Location | Medford, Massachusetts |
| Varsity teams | 29 |
| Football stadium | Ellis Oval |
| Basketball arena | Cousens Gymnasium |
| Baseball stadium | Sol Gittleman Park |
| Softball stadium | Spicer Field |
| Soccer field | Bello Field |
| Aquatics center | Hamilton Pool |
| Lacrosse field | Bello Field |
| Rowing venue | William A. Shoemaker Boathouse |
| Sailing venue | Bacow Sailing Pavilion |
| Tennis venue | Vouté Courts |
| Outdoor track and field venue | Dussault Track & Field Complex |
| Other venues | Gantcher Center, Jackson Gym, Kraft Field, Tufts Squash Center |
| Colors | Tufts blue and brown[1] |
| Mascot | Jumbo |
| Fight song | "Tuftonia's Day" |
| Website | gotuftsjumbos |
 | |
Tufts won the NACDA Directors' Cup in 2021–22 with the most successful athletic programs in NCAA Division III that year.[2]
The University mascot is named for Jumbo the elephant. P.T. Barnum donated this famous circus animal's stuffed hide to Tufts University, where it was displayed at the P.T. Barnum Hall for many years. The hide was destroyed in a fire in April 1975. The salvaged ashes of Jumbo were placed in a peanut butter jar, which continues to serve as a good luck charm for Tufts athletics teams.[3]
Sports sponsored
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Fencing |
| Football | Field hockey |
| Golf | Golf |
| Ice hockey | Lacrosse |
| Lacrosse | Rowing |
| Rowing | Sailing |
| Sailing | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Squash | Squash |
| Swimming and diving | Swimming and diving |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track and field | Track and field |
| Volleyball | |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
Football
The Tufts football program is the oldest in the country. Its first game was played on June 4, 1875 against Harvard which was won by Tufts 1-0. The 1,000th game in team history was played during the 2006 season.[4] Historians point to this Tufts versus Harvard game as the first game of college football using American football rules.[5][6] The team plays at the Ellis Oval, located on the southwest corner of the campus.
Sailing
The Jumbos particularly stand out in sailing. The team competes in the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association, and has won the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy eight times. The Jumbos also won the 2001 Dinghy National Championship, and won more championships in the 1990s than any other team. Several world and Olympic champions have been a part of the Tufts Sailing Team; among them is Tomas Hornos (class of 2010), who was world champion in 2007, and Kaitlin Storck, who was awarded the ICSA Women's College Sailor of the Year trophy in 2008. Others include Roger Altreuter in 1975, R. Stuart Johnstone in 1980, Paul Dickey in 1981, and Senet Bischoff in 1996, who all won the ICSA College Sailor of the Year trophy.
Other sports
Men's Squash maintains a top 20 Division I national ranking.[7] Tufts University won its first NCAA-sanctioned national team championship when the men's lacrosse team defeated Salisbury in the 2010 Division III men's lacrosse final.[8] Since then, Tufts has captured NCAA Division III National Championships in women's field hockey (2012, 2025),[9] women's softball (three consecutive from 2013 to 2015),[10] men's lacrosse again (2014, 2015, 2024, 2025),[11] and men's soccer (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2025).[12] Tufts teams also reached the 2008 championship game in women's field hockey[9] and the 2011 championship game in men's lacrosse.[11] The men's basketball team played in the 1945 NCAA basketball tournament, involving eight teams. They lost to NYU in the first round.
Facilities
| Venue | Sport(s) | Open. | Capac. | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Oval | Football Track and field | 1894 | 4,400 | [13] |
| Bello Field | Soccer Lacrosse | 2004 | n/a | [14] |
| Sol Gittleman Park | Baseball | 2023 | n/a | [15] |
| Cousens Gymnasium | Basketball | 1932 | 1,600 | [16] |
| Ounjian Field | Field hockey | 2016 | n/a | [17] |
| Spicer Field | Softball | 1959 | n/a | [18] |
| Malden Valley Forum | Ice hockey | 2001 | n/a | [19] |
| Tufts Squash Center | Squash | 1999 | n/a | [20] |
National championships
All the championships won in NCAA D-III.
| Sport | Title # | Year | Rival / runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lacrosse (men's) | 1 | 2010 | Salisbury | 9–6 |
| 2 | 2014 | Salisbury | 12–9 | |
| 3 | 2015 | Lynchburg | 19–11 | |
| 4 | 2024 | RIT | 18–14 | |
| 5 | 2025 | Dickinson | 25–8 | |
| Soccer (men's) | 1 | 2014 | Wheaton (IL) | 4–2 |
| 2 | 2016 | Calvin | 1–0 OT | |
| 3 | 2018 | Calvin | 2–1 | |
| 4 | 2019 | Amherst College | 2–0 | |
| 5 | 2025 | Trinity (TX) | 2–1 OT | |
| Softball | 1 | 2013 | SUNY Cortland | 6–0, 6–5 |
| 2 | 2014 | Salisbury | 1–2, 6–0, 6–0 | |
| 3 | 2015 | UT Tyler | 2–0, 7–4 | |
| Field Hockey | 1 | 2012 | Montclair State | 2–1 |
| 2 | 2025 | Johns Hopkins | 2–1 | |
| Rowing (women's) | 1 | 2024 | – | |
| 2 | 2025 | – | ||
